Brooklyn filmmaker Spike Lee shook hands, signed autographs, and took pictures with fans during a pop-up stoop sale at his Fort Greene production studio, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks (40 Acres) on Saturday, August 9. The director, writer, and actor who brought the world movies that include “Do the Right Thing,” “Malcolm X,” and “BlacKkKlansmen,” dug into the “vaults” at 40 Acres, according to his Instagram, selling vintage posters, one-sheets, and books to hundreds of attendees.
Lee raises questions about themes like race relations, urban life, and the Black experience in his works that also include “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Crooklyn,” and “Inside Man.” His studio, which has produced all of Lee’s films since its inception in 1979, draws its name from the historic military order that allotted land and livestock to formerly enslaved African Americans — a promise that was largely broken.
Lee’s works have proven highly influential — his 1989 film “Do the Right Thing” was recognized for its “cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance,” and Do the Right Thing Way, named after the film and located where the movie was shot, is the only street in New York City named after a fictional work.
Mosaic art outside 40 Acres and Mule Filmworks at Spike Lee’s Brooklyn Stoop Sale on August 9. (Photo by Johnny Knollwood) 
Fans lined up outside 40 Acres and Mule Filmworks to meet director Spike Lee at pop-up Brooklyn Stoop Sale on August 9. (Photo by Johnny Knollwood) 
Mockup of “Malcolm X” poster available for sale at 40 Acres and Mule Filmworks for Spike Lee’s Brooklyn Stoop Sale on August 9. (Photo by Johnny Knollwood) 
Fans lined up outside 40 Acres and Mule Filmworks to meet director Spike Lee at pop-up Brooklyn Stoop Sale on August 9. (Photo by Johnny Knollwood)
Fans showed up as early as 8:30 a.m. to meet the filmmaker, with the line wrapping around the block by the time Lee arrived at noon, donning a “Boycott Sal’s” shirt (a nod to “Do the Right Thing”), to applause from the attendees. “Spike Lee is here,” employees from 40 Acres told fans down the line, as DJ Spinna began blasting tunes that could be heard from around the corner. “Your waiting was not in vain.”
Some fans who lined up at noon waited upward of 5 hours to meet the director. To the disappointment of some, fans who waited in the long line — which turned corners around the block twice — were prompted to make a purchase before being redirected to yet another line to meet Lee. Street vendors selling water, firecrackers (frozen, homemade alcoholic drinks), weed, and lemonade walked up and down the block, keeping fans happy and hydrated.
Despite the heat and long wait times, the energy was high as excited attendees bumped to hip-hop, soul, and funk jams provided by DJ Spinna. Mockups of the posters that were available for sale were plastered alongside the gates leading up to the tents where Lee was signing and selling merchandise that ranged in price from $25–$400. Some of the more expensive, vintage items included original posters and one-sheets from 1992’s “Malcolm X,” 1994’s “Mo’ Better Blues,” and Lee’s first feature film, 1986’s “She Gotta Have It.”
The signing and stoop sale comes on the heels of Lee’s latest movie, “Highest 2 Lowest,” which stars frequent collaborator Denzel Washington and is set to be released in theaters on August 15.